Last Chance
by supernaturalwmn1313
Summary: This is my first fic...so be gentle. It is really short, but was just a scene I couldn't get out of my head. Basically Morgan's reaction to Pen's elopement.
1. Chapter 1

LAST CHANCE

It was over. Penelope was gone. She had just driven off in Esther, top down waving at everyone as she and Lynch headed to Vegas to elope. Derek Morgan was alone.

Derek tried not to think about it. Didn't actually calculate the time it would take to reach her before she did this crazy thing. Except it wasn't crazy. Lynch and she had been steady since the beginning, and Derek had watched how much Lynch loved his Baby Girl. He appreciated that someone could love her and make her happy. He sure as hell couldn't. And if he pulled up a few flights to Vegas to see if he could still get there, well that was just wishful thinking. Like his entire relationship with Pen had been.

Startled out of his reverie, Morgan glanced at the piece of paper Reid had just tossed onto his desk. It was a reservation for a Vegas flight, with Penelope's itinerary printed out, wedding chapel included. "Go now before it's too late," Reid said. "She isn't supposed to marry Lynch anymore than you are supposed to stay with the flavor of the week, and if you don't at least tell her how you feel, you'll regret it for the rest of your lives." Reid turned and walked away, sitting at his desk as if nothing had happened.

Morgan stared at the sheet of paper. All he had to do was get on a plane and catch her before she made them both miserable. Before he lost the only good thing in his life, the only think that kept him whole when the nightmares became too much.

Derek smiled, looked over at Reid and said "Thanks, Pretty Boy." Reid looked up and simply nodded his head. Derek headed for the doors and never looked back.


	2. Chapter 2

Derek stepped off the plane into the busy Vegas airport. As he figured it, Reid was right and he should be about 45 minutes ahead of Penelope. Quickly he strode out of the airport hailed a cab and was on his way to the chapel she had booked. Although outwardly he looked calm, his insides were jittering with nerves. What if he didn't get there in time and she actually married Lynch. Back at Quantico, it had all seemed surreal, like it was happening to someone else, but now he felt real fear.

Why hadn't he told her before how he felt? All their late night conversations, the flirting, he simply had thought he had more time. Garcia had looked so happy as she drove away. Maybe he was doing the wrong thing… No even Reid knew how he felt. If he didn't do this he could never forgive himself. He had to try, even if she shot him down. He didn't even know what he was going to say to her yet. "I love you" seemed to simple even for him. Where was his game, the suave player who could convince any woman he wanted? As usual, when it got serious with Pen, all the game flew out the window and he was left with just himself and how he really felt. That was when he would freeze. Like right before she met Kevin Lynch. He should have made sure she really understood when he said "I love you".

Derek was pulled out of his reverie as the cab slowed down. Up ahead he could see cars stopped, and even worse, the blinking lights of police cars. There was an 18 wheeler turned over in the middle of the road and several cars around it were off the road or visibly damaged. His stomach clenched. If he got caught in traffic, there was no way he could get to her in time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

_I know I left you guys hanging but RL got in my way. I promise some dialogue and a resolution…kinda…_

Derek was a nervous wreck by the time traffic started to move again. He was counting out the minutes until he could get to the chapel, hoping Esther hadn't done some kind of speed record and he was too late to stop Penelope.

Finally the cab pulled into the drive of the chapel. Derek quickly paid the driver, and then got out. Scanning, he looked around the lot. His heart sank as he saw that Esther, Pen's convertible, was parked at the front of the lot. Was he too late?

Just then he sees Penelope sitting in the car. She is by herself, digging in her purse for something. Lynch must be inside, Derek thought. Now's my only chance. Derek walked forward purposefully, not sure what he was going to say, but sure the words would come to him. As he reached the car, his phone rang. He ignored it. The team was on hiatus for the next three days after dealing with a particularly sickening case where a pedophile had held 16 girls for up to three years with no one the wiser. Pen's decision to elope had come when they got home. She said that after seeing the aftermath of those destroyed lives, she was living each day as if it was her last. Seemingly Lynch had asked her to marry him and she had been putting him off, as if waiting for something. Derek didn't know what but he was certainly glad he was one of the few people she told about _this_ trip.

Penelope looked up, a cellphone in her hand, as Derek opened the door. Surprise and happiness showed from her face as she recognized him. "Hey Sugar Lips! Come to give the bride away? She laughed. Derek thought he had never seen anyone more beautiful. "No Baby Girl, just the opposite. I realized back in D.C. that I don't want to give you to anyone." Derek took her hand and pulled her out of the car. "I don't understand. Derek?" Penelope looked hopeful for just a moment before confusion marred her face. "What are you doing here Derek?"

Derek was about to pull her to him when his phone rang again, followed by hers. Pen reached down and picked it up off the seat flipping it open before Derek could stop her. "Garcia, Goddess of All Knowledge" "Garcia, I am truly sorry to do this right after your wedding, but we have a case. It's a bad one. Four priests in four days in Dallas. Your honeymoon will have to wait, "Hotchner's voice said on the phone. "I'm sorry for the short notice, but the plane will pick you up in 45 at the Vegas airport. I'll see you then." Not giving Penelope a chance to say anything, the line went dead. As she started to speak, Derek's phone rang again. This time he answered, staring straight into Penelope's eyes as he did. "Morgan". He said. Penelope heard a couple of "yes, sirs" and right away", then Morgan said, "You can pick me up in Vegas with Penelope". After that he hung up the phone and stared at her. Derek couldn't help wondering if he was too late after all. Penelope looked upset, but also relieved in a way only he would be able to see. "Baby Girl, have you gotten inside yet? Have you married Lynch?" Derek asked as he placed his hands on her arms, forcing her to look up at him. "What?" Penelope said. " No, Kevin is inside taking care of the license and everything. I didn't want him to see me in my dress so I came outside to get my purse, which I forgot, and to get my dress. So no, the ceremony hasn't started yet". Penelope rambled. Derek stood there for a moment struck by his good fortune. Then he did what he had wanted to do since he saw her. He leaned down and kissed her, his lips softly nibbling at hers. "Good". Derek answered. "You don't have time now with the case and all, you better go tell Lynch." "We have a lot to talk about Baby Girl". Penelope touched her lips as Derek turned away dialing a number on his cell.

Penelope was stunned. First to see Derek there, then to have him kiss her so sweetly. For years she had dreamed about that but never on her wedding day. And what had he meant, they had a lot to talk about? Penelope was always a good judge of what Morgan was thinking but she couldn't read him right now. All she could tell was that he walked around like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders. Surely that kiss meant nothing, just like all the flirting meant nothing. They were friends. It was just a friendly kiss.

Maybe Derek thought it was too soon for her to marry Kevin. That must be it. She would explain again how after the last case, she wanted to live her life to the fullest and being married meant committing to life with a family. No one knew it but Garcia wanted a family most of all. A little one to make her feel loved and special and that no one could take away.

Jolted out of her thoughts by the appearance of Kevin a few feet away, staring at her in an odd way reminded her of Hotch's call. She didn't want to do this to him, but there was no way she was rushing that much of her wedding. She was already eloping for crying out loud. Kevin would understand. He always did. Not one time had they not been able to work things out. "Baby I have some bad news…." Penelope started to tell him as they walked back into the chapel.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

_Thank you for all the great reviews, I really appreciate it!_

Derek boarded the jet, Penelope right behind him. He was smiling just a little. Once they knew that there was a case, Lynch had loaded all their stuff back in to the car and drove Esther away, back to D.C., muttering about farms and the stupid BAU. Penelope had stood there looking forlorn and lost until Derek slipped his arms around her. "It will be ok Baby Girl, I promise". She had tensed under his touch for the first time. "Okay Hot Stuff, but if you don't tell me what is going on soon, this Goddess of Knowledge will throw a thunderbolt at your head!"

Derek loved the way her body felt pressed close to his. He felt like he had a secret present only he could unwrap. Now that she wasn't going to marry Lynch right away, he could do this the right way. He already knew she was curious about the kiss. He had kissed her before, but not with that kind of sensuality. This was the time he wanted to draw out, the anticipation. He knew Penny loved him, he just wasn't sure if all the flirting was just a game she played.

Once on board the jet, they both got to work looking over the case files. But Derek couldn't concentrate. All he could think of was get Pen to notice him, but subtly. Carefully he made her away of him. Slight brushes of his hand as he reached for his coffee. Holding her gaze just a second or two longer than normal. Rubbing a hand over his hair so that his shirt would ride up and she got a glimpse of his perfect and hard abs. He knew he was getting to her when she sat staring at her computer screen for 15 seconds like she didn't know what it was. "Can I get you anything, sweetheart?" he asked her in soft tones. Garcia jumped. She was feeling even more flustered around Derek than normal and his tone surprised her. It was mellow, smooth and at a pitch that made her toes curl up. "No I'm good", Penelope said. They both straightened a little when Hotch came on the screen.

"Penelope again I'm sorry to interrupt your day, but this one is Bad. Four priests, four different churches, four different MOs. First victim, a Father Stanley Benedict, 82, was found four days ago with a gun shot to his forehead, pinned to the cross hanging above the altar at St. Angelo's catholic Church. Second victim, Father Joshua Miller, 43, found the next day by an altar boy. Body had been strangled then hung and pinned to the cross over the altar. Third victim, Father Anthony Duncan, 64, found poisoned after Mass and crucified in same manner later on in the day. Fourth victim, Father Richard Ramirez, age 51, found this morning before Mass, throat slit, again crucified above the altar. Garcia I need you to start running the priests, friends and family. I need to know everything about them. Morgan, start with the victimology as Garcia gets information. We'll meet you in Dallas. This one is moving fast people." The screen went black.

Derek shifted in his seat a little. There wasn't much he could do with the information Hotch had just given them, but he could bug Garcia and keep her thoughts on him at the same time. "Let me know when you get any information on the victims, Baby Girl. This is going to be a bad one; I know the last one was hard for you. You gonna be ok? Derek leaned toward her as he asked the question. He knew the last case was hard on Pen, hell, it was hard on all of them, but if she really needed the time to decompress, he would fight Hotch tooth and nail to get it for her. Providing she didn't end up married to Lynch at the end of it.

Penelope didn't even look up as she started spouting information at him. "I'm fine. If everyone else can deal so can I. Now, all the victims were currently working in a small diocese of Dallas. As far as I can tell, they all knew one another, being in the same diocese. Our contact at the diocese is one Monsignor Taylor, who has covered their diocese for twenty years. He's a major proponent of modernizing the Church to draw in young people and started a program through the Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving to train priests on how to connect and bond with the younger generations.

All four victims attended those meetings and all four were following Monsignor Taylor's advice on the changes to be made at their respective churches. So the UNSUB either knew all of the victims or was a part of the Seminary where the meetings were held. Morgan, these were good men. They didn't deserve to die this way." Penelope finally looked up to find Morgan standing close to her, looking down on her with those beautiful chocolate eyes. Derek touched her face and simply rubbed his thumb over her cheek. "None of our victims deserve what happens to them, Baby." Penelope shuddered under his touch. What was this? Why did she suddenly feel off balance with Morgan of all people? He was her best friend. Sure he was acting a little funny today, but surely that was just part of the teasing they did to one another.

Derek never meant any of it. Penelope was sure about that. So it must be her. Maybe the whole wedding thing had been a bad idea and her body was betraying her because she knew in her heart she didn't love Kevin the way she loved Derek. That must be it, Penelope thought. As much as she didn't want to, she was going to have to break it off with Kevin. Getting that close to marriage only to realize you love someone else was hard, but she knew Kevin would understand. She just hoped she could hide it from Morgan until she figured out what in fresh hell was wrong with her!


End file.
